Outrage in Knesset over Police Coverup in Fatal Terror Attack

MKs call for an inquiry over initial police cover-up of fatal terrorist attack.

By Maayana Miskin

First Publish: 9/25/2011, 1:34 PM

MK Eldad demands explanations

Flash90

The revelation Sunday that evidence points to terrorist involvement in the deaths of a young father and son near Kiryat Arba did not come as a surprise to local leaders, who had suggested from the beginning that the incident may have been a terror attack. What caused outrage is police’s initial insistence that the fatal crash was caused by driver error.

The Knesset’s Land of Israel Forum, led by MKs Aryeh Eldad and Zev Elkin, said, “The Forum is appalled at the police’s attempt to cover up the facts regarding the terrorist attack in which a father and his baby son were murdered in the Hevron Hills by Arab murderers, shortly before Abu Mazen’s speech in the United Nations.

“The Forum calls on the Prime Minister not to act as the police did, but to reveal and condemn this Palestinian murderousness, and to make it clear to local Jews that their blood will not be freely split."

MK Eldad (National Union-Ichud Leumi) filed an urgent request for information Sunday in the Knesset, asking Minister of Internal Security Yitzchak Aharonovich, “Why did the police hurry to determine that this was a traffic accident and not the result of a terrorist rock throwing attack of the type that has occurred many times in the area of late? Was the intention to cover up the background of the event? Does the Israel Police intend to publish an updated report?”

On Friday, police spokesmen said that terrorism had been ruled out as a possible cause in the crash. Alternate explanations for the crash suggested that victim Asher Palmer, 25, had either fallen asleep at the wheel or had been driving recklessly.

Findings revealed two days later in the autopsies suggest that Palmer lost control of his car after being hit in the head by a massive rock hurled by passing Palestinian Authority terrorists.

Ketzaleh: Police Brought Joy to MurderersMK Yaakov “Ketzaleh” Katz called for introspection among top police and military officials. “They must ask themselves how it happened that their behavior falls in line with that of the worst of Israel’s enemies,” he said.

“How did it happen that a father and his baby son were murdered and, while everyone knew the truth, IDF and police spokesmen hurried to say it was a traffic accident, all in order to deceive the people and keep the people unaware, in order not to disturb the UN assembly? How did it happen that the security apparatus in the state of the Jews adopted such a miserable, exile mentality?” Ketzaleh asked.

He added, “One can only imagine what rejoicing there was in the house of the despicable murderers when they heard that, instead of trying to find them, the spokespeople for the security apparatus were blaming the victim… and they, the murderers, can plan their next murder in peace.”